


Believable

by whatacartouchebag



Series: Mercenary AU [3]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: mercenary au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 02:05:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15595833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatacartouchebag/pseuds/whatacartouchebag
Summary: The aftermath of their first assignment together. Yusei contemplates real hard on a slew of factors regarding his current job and what it means to really trust someone. Atem learns the hard way that he should never hang up on a man who knows exactly where he is and is already madder than a hornet at him. Little by little, the cracks in the mirror begin to weld. Takes place a few hours after Unbelievable.





	Believable

Yusei stared up at the darkened ceiling of the room, hands tucked behind his head and sleep long since abandoned to the early hours of the night. The stray thoughts had slunk into his mind like some sort of wisp of smoke that refused to leave the room, leaving him with an acrid taste in his mouth.

His brow furrowed as he traced the faint lines upon the ceiling with blue eyes. Where once there was some form of trust, only tatters remained. The Academy, Atem, Yliaster. Where did one begin and the other cease intersecting with the other? His mind buzzed with thoughts of the three, swarming through his head like angry hornets.

He brought up a hand to press to the bridge of his nose, knowing full well that sleep would be the last thing he’d receive tonight.

Pushing back the covers, he got to his feet, reaching for the shirt on his nightstand and pulling it over messy hair as he headed for the door. No, what he really wanted was actual answers; something he was highly unlikely to find at either this hour or safehouse.

He toed his way into his boots and yanked hard at the laces, his frustration falling upon them as he tugged the knot into existence.

Perhaps a simple walk to calm his mind would be just the thing he needed.

Or something to punch. He was a man of simple pleasures really.

Fingers slipped about the phone in his pocket, already turning it on as he pulled his jacket on with a free hand. Shrugging it on, he retrieved the headphones from another pocket and tucked them into his ears, already out the door before the musical strains began playing.

Down darkened stairs and out into the cold night, where his breath fogged and his skin threatened to bloom a soft pink in the frigid air. Yusei released a short sigh at the change in temperature, raising his eyes to the skyline as he thrust his hands into jacket pockets.

At the very least, he never really undressed before heading to bed, so the rest of him would stay warm for quite some time.

He began at a brisk pace, feeling the cold nip at his cheeks, and allowing his mind to begin the hefty job of sorting and sifting and categorising the thoughts that swam through his head.

The big question at the top of them all was Atem’s loyalties. Personally, he knew nothing about his history with the Academy; something he was now kicking himself over. The basic stats of the man, he knew, only due to mission briefings and various meetings. Anything specific, or hell, even anything broad for that matter? He was clutching at a giant blank.

It was something that could be worked upon, especially if their partnership had to undergo a drastic change.

Next on his list was Atem’s ties to the Yliaster group. Not much to go on there, as all information on them was somewhat above his level of clearance, and all he really knew about the group themselves were the basics and his own personal interactions with them.

A light frown crossed his expression. It was something that Yuma might be able to help him with, but he’d rather limit the amount of exposure his associates received. If the programmer was caught it would mean the end of everything for him; career, future, and potentially his life. Something as drastic as that over a simple query, yet he knew how the Academy would react; perhaps he could delicately ask Astral.

The group’s internal administration itself wasn’t as public as the Academy, but at their head – or as far as publicity was concerned – sat their leader, Seto Kaiba. A man whose father had built the company from the ground up, providing all sorts of trade to varying companies. Logistical supplies, medical delivery devices, civilian lifestyle technologies, life-saving pharmaceuticals; it was hard to pin down exactly _what_ the company front did as a whole, yet it was varied enough that it helped spread the image.

Yliaster was a company beneficial to the future of mankind.

At least that’s what it said on the box.

Yusei had to admit, it was smart marketing. When the time came to pull the curtain away, humanity would stand firmly with them to the bitter end over having made such radical, positive changes to the world about them. Who in their right mind would deny people such basic necessities?

No, it was a clever smokescreen, but it made his digging all the more difficult.

He gave a faint noise of thought as he glanced up at the world about him, drifting lightly back into reality and feeling like the only person in this dim-lit street. In a way, he really was; walking like an angrily burdened man with little else on his mind but his frustrations, it was no wonder that those stray few people on the pavement avoided him.

With a frown, it brought him back to the last thing on his mind.

The Academy itself.

At the head sat the Council; names and faces he didn’t know, nor did the public. In what was probably a similar scheme to Yliaster, the puppeteers _really_ pulling the strings were only known to select individuals within the respective groups, and the Council was something Yusei had never had the good fortune of meeting.

Under them sat the Administrators, and that’s where the true branching began. Where some were truly for the public face of the Academy – a worldwide university of the highest prestige, offering only the finest in athletics and scholarly teachings – there were a broader collection of those that watched as much as they participated.

The Administrators whose sole purpose was to monitor and mould and recruit.

Those were the ones most disturbing to Yusei; the ones with the first say in whether or not a person’s life would forever be altered. Much like that of poor Yuma, his mind whispered.

Much like his own.

His mind pressed on, not preferring to stray too long upon _that_ particular topic. After the Administrators came the real meat of the Academy; those who reared and trained and dispatched.

The Handlers.

Tasked with the wellbeing of new recruits, they were solely responsible for their upbringing and education. Depending on their chosen field, those inducted into the Academy were mentored by a very specific group of Handlers. Yusei knew he was one of the lucky ones chosen for field work, but there were obviously others in varying fields. Computer sciences, engineering, medical fields, consulting specialists… just a few of departments ticked through his head as he walked.

He knew of Yuma’s role in the Academy, and what his specialised fields were. Atem, however, was still a question in his mind. Certainly, he was a field agent, but to what capacity aside from close quarters combat specialist, he had no idea.

He’d only been with the Academy for a short time; short enough that he and Yusei had only performed one mission together, and _that_ was a complete wash.

Blue eyes narrowed. If the mission _was_ such a failure, why hadn’t he been recalled from the field to report in more detail? If Atem had truly gone rogue, then why hadn’t he heard of cleanup being dispatched? Why hadn’t he heard from Yuma, or even Astral?

He resisted the faint growl of frustration that sat on his tongue and closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair.

All of a sudden since that afternoon, in the space of a few short hours, he’d been kept utterly in the dark.

The bigger question came in the analysis of his _own_ questions. Had Atem _truly_ gone rogue? He fled from the scene nearly immediately after Yusei had found out about his connection to Yliaster. Not to mention the way the man had been in hiding ever since. He could appreciate people in their particular line of work being secretive, but this was something else entirely.

No, this was… almost as if the man were scared.

Yusei could understand why, however; both groups they were involved with were likely to silence you if things went awry. Not a comforting thought. Self preservation was one thing, but Yusei doubted even _he_ could manage to avoid the Academy for long.

Still… if Atem was scared for his life, he had a funny way of showing Yusei gratitude for saving it.

Blue eyes hardened as his thoughts spun further and further. That target earlier… just how had he known what Atem’s connection to Yliaster was? It was clear that Atem had no idea who the man was, so would the target have been briefed on Atem beforehand? Was Yliaster that open with their members that they freely spoke about former agents? No, surely not…

Yusei reached up with both hands, gently blowing warm breath into cupped fingers.

Surely he would have to have been told. There was no way a mere grunt would know-

The music in his ears faded with the oncoming announcement of a soft chime, and he fished his phone from his pocket, wondering who could be calling him at this hour; he’d already reported in, after all.

No caller ID. Whilst nothing unusual to him, the timing still felt off.

He clicked the accept button and tucked the device back in his pocket, almost thankful for the welcome distraction.

“Stardust,” he spoke curtly, breath streaming behind him in a fog as he walked.

“That’s no way to say hello.”

The smooth voice on the line drew his brow to a deep furrow of annoyance and he very nearly hung up on the man out of spite.

“Then don’t skip out on the first date next time,” he answered sharply. Atem laughed brightly on the other end, and he could just about see that self-satisfied smirk on his face.

“But that just makes you twice as keen for a second.”

Yusei _did_ sigh then, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Mixing business with pleasure was a surefire way to get himself or the other killed; something he’d already seen far too often in his career. He dropped his hand and tucked it back into his jacket, ignoring the statement.

“Where are you?”

The simple question brought the interested sound from his runaway partner.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I need to punch you,” Yusei replied, deadpanned.

The snicker drew from the end of the line once more, despite how utterly serious the sharpshooter was. If there was one thing he wanted to do tonight, it was lay a fist somewhere between that smug grin and his forehead.

“You compromised the mission,” he continued. “I have every right to do so, and you know it.”

“Well aren’t you a barrel of laughs,” Atem murmured wryly. “Are you sure the mission was a complete failure?” Yusei felt his patience fraying, like picking the thread of a seam. What else would he call it if not a failure?

“Considering my partner went AWOL with both the merchandise and cash, leaving only a dead man and a message to Yliaster, yes.”

He knew the mention of the name would wring a reaction from the other, and the resounding silence was all he needed to hear.

“Besides, there’s the other-”

“We succeeded, Stardust,” Atem cut him off coldly.

“ _Bullshit_ we did!” Yusei snapped at him, his composure snapping like a pencil.

“ _Language_ , please. And let me explain before you fly off the handle.”

The dark haired man drew to a stop, straightening with a short intake of breath as he closed his eyes. No, there was no need to let the man rile him like this. He was more irritated over a mission gone awry than at his new partner, he knew that much. The fact that his new partner happened to be the _cause_ for such a mission going awry was more than enough to get under his skin, however.

“Atem…” Yusei breathed into the night, wringing only the sigh from the man.

“So glad I called on a secured line…” came the murmur in his ear. “Look, _Yusei_ , the reason things went the way they did is the very fact you were there.”

_That_ got his attention.

“I say that because, well…” the man trailed off and Yusei felt the frown cross his brow.

He knew the reason; for as scant as Atem’s file was within his clearance level, he knew that the man didn’t partner well with others. He knew Pharaoh was a hard agent to work with at the best of times, _and_ he had a habit of playing by his own rules, so any mission with him would always be difficult.

Yusei never really drew the conclusion that his own involvement in his own mission would be the crux of Atem’s problems.

“You’re blaming _me_ for the fact you walked out?” the sharpshooter hissed.

“No,” the reply came sternly in his ear. “I…”

Dark brows furrowed deeply. He’d never heard the man sound so unsure about anything; that usual confidence and finesse with words all but vanishing. This was something more than a mere clash of personalities, Yusei was sure.

The sigh sounded light in his ears.

“I had to get out of there. Silly, I know,” Atem’s soft words did nothing but confirm his earlier suspicions. “It was a brief momentary lapse of judgement, leaving me with little choice but to make amends.”

“Flattered.”

“You should be,” the man continued. “It’s not often I have to save face; there _is_ my reputation to uphold, after all.”

There was the mask again. Slipped so simply over his words and lacing tight about the ever-present smirk on his lips. Truth be told, Yusei was glad to hear it return. The truth, as always, was something far easier to tuck away for another day.

Yusei reached up to tap at his marker, letting the wash of overlays colour the world about him until he reached the tracer path he was after. He certainly wasn’t the sentimental type, but it was time to find the man.

“Reputation or not, you still made a point to break into our safehouse and bribe my silence with coffee.”

The sharp laughter rang through his ears as something distant in his vision pinged in response, a path towards his target outline on the ground before him. Yusei was mildly surprised; he wasn’t at all far away.

“Though you did also tell me… no more Satisfaction.”

There was a lingering silence on the line as Yusei heard the shift of cloth and soft footsteps.

“…and no more Yliaster,” the man finished for him. “Yusei, I meant what I wrote. Believe what you will, but I’ve long severed my ties with them.”

He wanted sorely to find the truth in those words, yet something in the back of his mind still gnawed at him. If Atem was truly free of their grasp, it would certainly take more than words to prove his loyalty to the Academy. It would also take more than mere words to prove himself to Yusei.

Blue eyes narrowed faintly at his own thoughts and he slowed to a stop.

Trust was always such a disposable commodity in their profession. As easily as they could slip on the mask of disguise, they could throw it out in a heartbeat.

The quiet sigh sat on his tongue and he felt his hands clench at his side. Trust or not, the man was his partner, and they were stuck with one another until all their skeletons were flushed from their closets. It was a brutal compromise and it sat heavily in his mind. The olive branch was his to extend, it seemed.

“I don’t… blame you… for running out,” he told him softly.

The tone of that voice caught Atem by surprise and the silence lingered down the line until Yusei _did_ sigh lightly, closing his eyes to shake his head lightly, not liking the way the frustration sat in his chest.

He detested the unfamiliar feeling crawling through his skin, and he tried to force it from his mind as he began walking once more, firmly fixing his eyes upon the little radar blip of Atem’s location.

“I would’ve done the same,” he admitted simply, feeling the bitter taste of acquiesce on his tongue.

There was a brief beat of time before Atem’s marker began to move, descending somewhat, and he could hear footsteps through the line. Wherever he’d holed himself up, he was now heading downstairs and on the move once more, something that spiked the adrenaline lightly into Yusei’s veins. Was he trying to run again?

“… thank you,” Atem replied. He paused for a moment. “You’re still not getting me to apologise twice in the one conversation, by the way.”

Yusei gave a faint noise of consideration to that, and he was rewarded with a soft chuckle. Blue eyes watched as that marker reached ground level; at least at this distance and location, he could start sprinting if he needed to catch the slippery bastard.

“Oh, and by the way,” the amused voice curled into his ears.

The sharpshooter sighed into the line. “What.”

“Stop tracking me.”

Blue eyes widened as the phone call ended abruptly, killing off the active signal and leaving him staring at a last known location mark blinking rapidly in his vision. Without missing a beat, he exploded forward from his place as feet pounded on the concrete path. Of course the little wretch was monitoring his location from his phone. Twice in one day-!

Muscles began burning as he tore along the sidewalk, not even trying to mask the noise as boots thudded noisily one after the other. If he lost Atem now, it would be over. There’d be no going back from the olive branch he’d extended him, and the next time he saw him, they’d damn well be on opposing sides.

The snarl sat on his lips as he sprinted around the corner, feeling his lungs burn from exertion, and the marker in his vision rapidly counted down to a close. It was only as he rounded the corner, the street opening up to a broad and tidy plaza, that he began to slow.

He glanced around him hurriedly, hoping to see some slim sign of a fleeing person, or someone recovering from being knocked down in a hurry. At least then, he’d know where the agent had run off to.

“Yo,” came the cheery greeting from almost behind him.

Yusei startled, whirling around with fists cocked as Atem reclined on one of the benches nearby. The rogue agent offered him a friendly wave as he stood, that horrible grin plastered on his face.

“Wow, you should see your face,” he told him with a soft laugh.

Still breathing heavily, rage ran through his veins as swiftly as the adrenaline that brought him here, and he stormed over to the man. Without pausing, he swung hard, fist slamming into the agent’s jaw and snapping his head back, causing him to stagger back a few paces.

Atem raked a hand along the edge of the bench, steadying himself with a sharp shake of his head as his world suddenly swam. God, did the man just give him a concussion by means of a hello?

“Christ, nice to see you too,” he mouthed, working his jaw to ensure nothing was actually broken.

“You deserved that you son of a bitch,” Yusei told him sharply as he shook his hand out, feeling almost a little better from that.

Pharaoh tenderly rubbed his jaw, knowing it would be ridiculously sore for the next few days. What the hell were Yusei’s arms made of? Titanium? He swore one of his teeth were loose…

“Good to see you kept your promise to me,” he told him, still blinking the blurring vision away. He hadn’t really expected Yusei to punch him, and the surprise was more of a shock than the actual action of clocking him one in the jaw. “I don’t think I’ll hang up on you again anytime soon.”

A hand fisted in his dress shirt, dragging him forward and all but lifting him up to Yusei’s eye level. Furious anger sat fresh in those sharp blue eyes and he almost laughed at the situation of facing the full anger of Stardust. Was this the last thing people saw if they caught him without his weapons? No wonder the man had such a fierce reputation.

“Don’t you _dare_ ever try that again,” Yusei all but spat at him in dangerous snarl.

Atem couldn’t help but laugh. “Lighten up, I thought partners were supposed to be able to take a joke.” Despite the active threat on his life, there was no stopping the easy mirth that fell from him; a defence mechanism that usually always got him in trouble, but always put him in very close proximity to targets.

He held up a hand in light surrender. “You seemed content to talk way too much while you were tracking me. I wanted you to cut to the chase, alright?” Atem told him smoothly. Yusei growled under his breath, and some sane portion of his mind could see the logic behind it. It still didn’t help the fact his partner was being a complete ass about it.

“If you knew I was already on my way here, why not just tell me to hurry it up?”

“Well, would you have listened? Or would you still think I was attempting to run?”

_That_ brought Yusei up short, and he shoved him back in annoyance, feeling his breathing even out.

“Of course I would think that!” he snapped. “It wouldn’t be the first time in your history you’d run out on a partner.”

Atem narrowed his eyes lightly at that, giving a soft huff in response, arms folding across his chest, all humour slipping from him.

“You don’t even know why-”

“Then tell me,” Yusei interjected sharply, feeling his composure fraying around the man. He reached up, jabbing a finger to his partner’s chest. “Like it or not, we’re shackled together until the Academy says otherwise. We support each other on the field. We _don’t_ abandon each other. _We are a team!_ ”

“Yusei.”

The smooth tone of that voice brought him to a stop and a hand closed over his wrist, cool crimson eyes meeting furious blue.

“I know we are, and like I already told you, I won’t apologise twice in the same conversation,” he answered softly. There was a beat of time as he felt the muscles within that arm began to relax a little, and he was glad that Stardust was starting to at least listen to him and come back down.

“I take some time to get used to, and in turn, I’m not used to having a partner yet,” he cut himself off, looking down briefly. “Not… for a long time.” He released Yusei’s wrist, bringing his eyes up once more.

“Asking you to trust me is pointless; you won’t ever do that.”

The sudden admission was enough to draw the light surprise from Yusei, and he reached up to pluck his long forgotten earbuds from his ears, tucking the tangle of wire back in his pocket.

Trust would always be his downfall so long as he were in this profession; that much he knew about himself. Yet extending it to someone was a two-way street. Atem had yet to give him a reason to put his faith in the man, and to effectively work together, it was something they both needed to work on.

He knew it was a stretch, but he hated the feeling of frustration welling in his stomach because of it all.

“No, I might not…” he breathed in reply. “Regardless, you know I keep my word.”

He held his hand out to the man, knowing there was only a few ways his offer could go.

“So trust or not, in the meantime, you can believe what I say.”

Atem had to blink back at the man at his sudden turnabout. It was… almost jarring to see when he’d all but knocked his lights out some scant minute ago. Still… there was nothing to suggest Stardust had an agenda; the man didn’t operate like that. Hell, he was a straight-laced as they came when talking about operations of any kind.

For Atem to be presented with such a deal, he could hardly believe his luck. Yusei would just… blindly offer his faith to him like this? He reached up hesitantly, hand pausing before the other’s for a moment as the light frown crossed his brow.

“ _You remember what it was like to have friends, don’t you?”_

The words crossed through his mind like hot oil searing skin and he clasped the hand before him, forcibly pushing the memory to the side. It was something he couldn’t afford to dwell upon in this moment.

“Thank you… Yusei…” he breathed softly.

The man in question shook his hand lightly, before drawing back. Seemingly satisfied with how things had progressed between the two of them, he raked a hand through dark hair, feeling his emotions settle a little after their brief confrontation.

“Come on,” he told him, already turning away from the small plaza. Atem was left standing with his thoughts for a moment before falling into step alongside him and following.

He didn’t feel the need to question where they were going; for as much unease ran between them, the amicable silence was almost welcoming. Yusei led the way as the two of them walked towards the busier part of the suburb, almost tempted to put his earbuds back in if it weren’t for the fact he wanted to keep an eye on the other.

He was still downright angry at the man, and more than irritated at his own response. Yusei knew getting angry wouldn’t solve anything, but it seemed as if working together would be like sandpaper on his skin at times. Blue eyes glanced skywards, knowing it would be a long journey between the two of them to rebuild that already tattered trust.

Slowly, steadily, it could be done… but it would take an openness not really seen amongst their kind.

Rounding the corner, they approached a nearby food truck, Yusei intent on ordering something hot and greasy and sorely needed at this hour of the night.

“Two pad thai,” came the voice from next to him.

Atem placed the money on the counter before Yusei had the chance, and at the sideways glance he got from the man, gave a noncommittal shrug. Collecting their food, the two of them walked onwards, hands already warmed by thick noodles within their containers. It wasn’t until they’d opened the piping hot tubs, digging into their food as they walked, that Atem spoke up.

“For saving my life earlier,” came the simple explanation.

Yusei gave a light frown. “You already bought me coffee.”

Atem laughed. “No, that was for not shooting me earlier. This is for not punching me twice,” he explained. “Seriously, your arms are ridiculous. How heavy are your weapons?”

Blue eyes glanced back at the man, a faint smile ghosting across his lips. It sure wasn’t perfect – it was downright dysfunctional – but working with the man was going to prove entertaining, at the very least.

Maybe Stardust needed to lighten up a little, just like his partner said.


End file.
